NFL Player News

Pierce rushed four times for four yards and wasn't targeted in Friday's 20-12 preseason win over the Steelers.

Pierce made his preseason debut Friday after sitting out the Hall of Fame Game last week. Offseason acquisition Joe Mixon continues to work his way back from a quadriceps injury, so Pierce shared the field with C.J. Stroud and the rest of Houston's starters on the first two drives Friday. If Mixon's unable to suit up for the Texans' third preseason game against the Giants on Aug. 17, Pierce would likely draw another start.

Harris rushed three times for nine yards and caught his only target for 16 yards in Friday's 20-12 preseason loss to the Texans.

Harris and Jaylen Warren (three carries for 11 yards) both mixed in with the first-team offense, which played the entire first quarter and featured Justin Fields under center due to fellow offseason acquisition Russell Wilson sitting out. Harris and Warren will likely split playing time once again this season, though it was encouraging that Harris got the lone catch between the two Friday after Warren finished with 61 receptions compared to 29 for Harris during the 2023 regular season. Pittsburgh's next preseason game will be Saturday, Aug. 17 against the Bills.

Barkley is in uniform ahead of Friday's preseason game at Baltimore, Bob Brookover of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

With quarterback Jalen Hurts expected to log a possession in the Eagles' exhibition opener, it comes as no surprise that the team's biggest offseason addition within the skill positions also will be available. Once Barkley and the rest of the starters hit the sideline Friday, Kenneth Gainwell, Will Shipley, Lew Nichols, Tyrion Davis-Price and Kendall Milton will handle backfield duties for Philadelphia.

Robinson is among the key Falcons skill players not in line to play in Friday's preseason opener against the Dolphins, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.

Along with Robinson, the same applies to fellow RB Tyler Allgeier, QB Kirk Cousins, WRs Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud, as well as TE Kyle Pitts. While it doesn't look like Cousins will see preseason action, Robinson could potentially log some snaps in Atlanta's second exhibition contest, Aug. 17 against the Ravens. Jase McClellan, Avery Williams and Carlos Washington are available to handle the team's backfield duties versus Miami.

Patterson (hamstring) was activated by the Steelers on Friday as he passed his physical, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Patterson was placed on the reserve/non-football back in late July, but the passing of a physical was enough for him to now get activated. The veteran running back and return specialist will likely see the bulk of his opportunities this season as the Steelers' kick returner, as he sits behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in the backfield depth chart.

Mixon (quad) is not in line to play in Friday's preseason game against the Steelers, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

On the plus side, the report notes that Mixon is close to a return to action, but the Texans have no reason to rush the running back into exhibition play, with two more preseason contests on tap after Friday. In the meantime, reserves like Dare Ogunbowale, Jawhar Jordan, Cam Akers, J.J. Taylor and British Brooks should continue to receive opportunities to state their cases for slotting behind Mixon and Dameon Pierce.

Miller tallied 63 yards on 12 carries and caught both of his passing targets for seven yards in a preseason win against Detroit on Thursday.

Miller led Giants running backs with 26 offensive snaps in the exhibition contest. That doesn't indicate his place on the depth chart -- in fact, it more likely suggests that he's near the bottom of the pecking order -- but the 25-year-old nonetheless took advantage of the opportunity, leading New York with 63 rushing yards on a healthy 5.3 YPC. Miller impressively ended the third quarter with a nine-yard rush after the Giants had been pinned back at their own four-yard line, and he added a 19-yard carry two plays into the fourth. While Devin Singletary is secure in his starting RB role and both Tyrone Tracy and Eric Gray looked good as the most likely No. 2 and No. 3 options Thursday, Miller could certainly carve out a role for New York this season and give himself a chance to rise up the depth chart with continued strong play.

Singletary didn't play in the Giants' first preseason game Thursday versus Detroit, and New York's running game produced 155 ground yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries.

That Singletary didn't play in the team's initial preseason matchup further emphasizes what was already a given, which is that he'll take over the lead-back role for the Giants with Saquon Barkley now in Philadelphia. The extent to which Singletary serves as a workhorse, though, could depend on how effectively the team's other ball carriers perform. If Thursday was any indication, second-year back Eric Gray could earn a healthy workload, as he gained 52 yards and scored twice on just four carries while adding 46 receiving yards on four catches versus Detroit. Tyrone Tracy, who has been the early leader for the No. 2 role in training camp, also did well with 26 yards on five rushes, and Dante Miller -- who has opened eyes in camp -- added 63 ground yards on 12 carries along with seven receiving yards on two catches. Singletary's role as the No. 1 back is secure, but it isn't yet known how work will be distributed among all of the running backs with Barkley out of the picture.

Reynolds had four carries for 11 yards in Thursday's 14-3 loss to the Giants.

Reynolds enters the 2024 campaign in a battle for the No. 3 running back role behind David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, competing with rookie Sione Vaki for that spot. Vaki turned four carries into 29 yards versus New York, including a 15-yard scamper in the second quarter. It's hard to read too much into usage in the preseason, but Reynolds saw nine offensive snaps while Vaki was on the field for 13. Reynolds appeared in all 17 regular-season games with Detroit in 2023 and likely still has the edge to open the season above Vaki on the depth chart.

Boone rushed eight times for 34 yards while also catching three of his four targets for 17 yards during Thursday's 17-3 preseason loss to the Patriots.

Boone helped his chances of making the Panthers' 53-man roster Thursday by recording 51 yards from scrimmage while playing the most snaps (30) of any Carolina running back. The seventh-year pro saw that many opportunities due to Carolina resting its top three healthy RBs: Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Raheem Blackshear. Nonetheless, Boone outshined both Dillon Johnson and Jaden Shirden and now likely now has a chance of making it past the Panthers' final roster cuts.